Sophie's Misfortunate Adventure
by cma911123
Summary: Kind of a mixture between the book and the movie. Sophie is expecting her and Howl's first child. But after their flying castle is attacked, Sophie finds herself in the middle of nowhere, and not to mention that she and her unborn baby are under a new spell. Will she be able to break it in time, before the baby is born? And what's Howl got to do with the spell anyway?
1. In which Sophie and Howl watches the sky

**Hello everyone! This is Clara and this here is my very first Howl's Moving Castle fanfction. It is a mixture between the book and the movie, as I'm using parts of the second book's story (in which Sophie really gets turned to a cat and her and Howl's son is actually born a kitten) as well as the movies characters (Witch of the Waste, Heen)**

**Though being based on the book, I decided to give it my own ending, excluding characters such as Abdullah since I want this to focus on Sophie and Howl. It is not meant to be a plagiarism, just my own story to some events that occurred in Diana Wynne Jones' book Castle In The Air.**

**The character are in no way mine, they originally belong to Diana Wynne Jones, exept for a few that belongs to Studio Ghibli.**

**I hope that you enjoy this! Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! All feedback is good feedback and I will not be offended if you critizise! :) On the contrary! **

Sophie gently patted her round stomach. She was very glad and excited about the new life that was growing in her.

The last year of her life had been the best she had ever experienced. She moved in with Howl in the now flying castle. It didn't take long before they got married and now they were expecting their first child together.

Sophie loved their little family, that at the moment was herself and Howl, obviously. Markl, Heen the dog, whatever was left of the Witch of the Waste and Calcifer the fire demon.

The somewhat moody fire demon hadn't been away for long until he came back to them, claiming that it was going to be rainy anyway.

Their family was wierd , but Sophie loved them all. Soon there was going to be a new member of the family to love as well.

The day had been quite calm and she had spent most of it alone. The magical doors in the castle was set on the flowery meadow that Howl had made for her, and she gladly watched Heen and Markl running around and playing. Howl was out on some errand. He had told her where he was going, but she hadn't payed much attention to it at the time.

The old Witch was sleeping soundly in the chair next to Sophie, so she hadn't been very sociable.

Sophie glanced at the beautiful wristwatch that Howl had given to her as a gift and realized that it was time to get inside and prepare for dinner. It was still her task to cook and clean but she loved doing so, especially when it was for the ones she loved. She got up from her chair and went inside the door. All of the windows was opened so the air was cool and it smelled fresh. Just a few days ago they had put up new wallpapers in the kitchen with a floral pattern, which made the whole roome more homely. She turned to the fireplace and saw that Calicfer looked at her with a stubborn and suspicious look in his eyes.

"It's already dinner-time? Can't you cook using the fire in the regular stove, specifically made for cooking?"

"My, aren't we moody today? Fine you don't have to help today if you don't want to."

"Really? Wow, you are in an unusually good mood", Calcifer said.

"I'm too tired to argue with you. Besides, Markl and Granny are hungry and if you were to help me, it would take longer anyway."

"What do you mean by that?" Calcifer asked. It wasn't very hard to annoy him. Calcifer took much pride in his powers, and Sophie knew that questioning them was a great way to push his buttons when she wanted him to do something for her.

"Nothing, now are you going to help me or not?"

"Yes, but only to show you how much faster I can do it compared to that other puny, regular fire..."

"If you say so", Sophie smiled.

In a matter of minutes Sophie was done cooking. She had made a simple meal of rice and some sausages that Calcifer had helped her fry. She was making the table when a sudden embrace from behind almost made her drop the plates she held.

"Im back", Howl whispered silently into her ear. He was as always dressed in a colorful coat, and his blonde hair was neatly groomed. The two emerald earrings he wore matched his green eyes perfectly. It all made him look more fabulous than usual, Sophie thought.

"Welcome back, darling", Sophie answered and turned to kiss him.

"How are you two doing?" He asked and gently stroked her belly.

"We're fine. Other than I think this baby may someday become a wold champion kicker."

Howl laughed.

"If it inherits the stubbornness of its mother then I'm sure it can become anything that it wants."

Sophie smiled broadly.

"Me? Stubborn? That must be because I've spent so much time with you", she said teasingly. "I wasn't this stubborn before."

"Is that so?" Howl said with a playful smile. "Then I best be going then, so that you don't get any more bad habits from me."

"I think I like these new bad habits", Sohpie said and leaned on him for another kiss. "Will you kindly tell Markl to help Granny inside, so we can eat?" She asked as sweetly as she could.

"In a minute", Howl said. "Im just going to stop by my study first." Sophie knew that he was too stubborn to do what she'd told him right away. He did listen to her, but he always thought of something to do first. Howl would never listen to anybody else than her. He was a free spirit who needed to feel like there was no one above him to decide things for him.

Sophie didn't mind that and she would't ask for anything more of him than other than what was fair. After all, they were going to raise a child together and he would defenitly need to be more helpful around the house.

Howl went up the stairs towards his study and Sophie finished placing out the plates on the table. While she waited for Howl and the others she took a chair and placed infront of Calcifer's fireplace.

"Tired?" Calcifer asked.

"A little, even though I've hardly done anything all day", she replied and sighed. "Besides, my feet really hurt today."

"Aren't they supposed to? In your condition, I mean?"

"I guess so, but its really getting to me today."

"Don't worry. I'm sure Howl has a spell that will make you feel better."

"Thank you Calcifer", Sophie said. She honestly appreciated his kindess. She enjoyed talking to Calcifer, although he could be a little whiny sometimes.

"No worries! How's the weather been today?"

"Its been very sunny. You should have been outside with us. The sky have been blue all day, there have been no sign of rain", Sophie said.

"Maybe tomorrow", Calcifer replied.

"I think somebody is getting a little lazy?"

"You would be too, at my age."

"Ive practically been your age once!" Sophie replied and thought about the dreadful curse that was placed on her a year ago. Altough, come to think of it she probably never would have married Howl if she hadn't been cursed.

"You were not ever the same age as me", Calcifer said with an offended tune in his voice.

Evening fell and after the meal, Sophie and Markl finished doing the dishes. Sophie went to the enchanted door and made it open up the the castle's actual backyard. She loved watching the sun set from the castle in the sky. As she stood by the fence and glanced at the orange sky she heard footsteps and found Howl walking towards her. He approached her and put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned on him and sighed.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Sophie said.

"Yes. In just a short time you and I are going to be parents."

"It's hard to believe."

"Yes. But at the same time it's rather amazing."

"Indeed", Sophie said happily. After a few moments of silence, she took the opportunity to say something that had been bothering her for a while.

"Howl, can I ask you something?" She said.

"Of course. Is something the matter?" Howl asked.

"No, not at all. It's just that.. Do you really think that I will be a good mother?"  
Howl replied with a warm smile.

"No, I don't. I think you're going to be the best." He kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Howl! Seriously. I don't know anything about babies. How am I supposed to take care of one, it may not even like me, and what if.."

"You worry too much", Howl interrupted. "First of all, I know that you are going to be the greatest mother of all time and besides, we are doing this together, remember? We'll take it as it is. When the time for worrying comes, we'll worry. But for now, everything is fine and we have many good memories to look forward too." He smiled broadly at her, with his green eyes seemingly sparkling in the dull light from the setting sun.

"I love you, Howl Pendragon." Sophie said.

"I love you too, Sophie Pendragon."


	2. In which Sophie experiences pelvic pain

**Authors Note: I', sorry for the short chapter! I'll try to make the others a bit longer! ^^; This chapter may be a little cheesy, but I wanted to express how much Howl cares about Sophie's well being.**

It was long past sunset when the two of them went back inside. The others was probably already sleeping and Sophie was feeling fatigued as well, but even so she still wished that the time out on the backyard would have lasted longer.

The only one still awake was the Witch of the Waste. Even Calcifer slept soundly. Suddenly a sharp pain in Sophie's stomach made her cry out.

"Sophie? What's wrong?" Howl almost shouted as she fell down on the floor. "Sophie!"

The pain brough another feeling of sickness, threatning to hurl up what she'd eaten before.

"What's the matter?" The old witch asked.

"I'm going to be sick", Sophie said and put a hand over her mouth to try to hold the vomit back. Howl quickly picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. She sat with her head over the toilet for a while before she managed to calm herself down.

Howl stayed by her side, keeping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned herself onto him once she felt better.

"How are you feeling?" Howl asked worringly.

"Better now" she replied tiredly. "I don't know what came over me." Howl picked her back up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom where he gently put her down on the bed.

"Get some sleep now, honey. I'll go get a doctor", Howl said worringly. "There's no need to do that", a voice from the door said. It was the Witch of the Waste. She slowly approached the two of them, with a certain tenderness in her old eyes.  
"There is nothing wrong with you, dear. What you're experiencing is most likely pelvic gerdal pain, and its perfectly normal for a mother-to-be to experience when the time of the birth is coming close."

"Wouldn't it be better to have a doctor see her?" Howl asked.

"No, not unless it gets worse."

"Thank goodness", Howl said and the relief in his voice was obvious. Knowing him right, he probably thought she was dying or something. After all, he was the king of drama. But Sophie appreciated his worry. She was worried too, but having him by her side made her feel much better.

The old witch gently patted Sophies cheek. "Im afraid all you can do is wait it out."

"Thank you, Granny", Sophie said. "It's a good thing you were still awake. Sorry for bothering you."

The old with smiled and turned to Howl.

"It's alright to be worried. After all this is your first child and I'm sure your wife appreciates your worry."

"You know I do, Howl", Sophie said tiredly, and looked at him. "I'm so lucky to have you with me right now."

Howl smiled tenderly at his wife.

"I best be going then", the witch said and left the couple alone.


	3. In which the castle is attacked

The next day Sophie was still experiencing pain, but at least now she knew she wouldn't have to worry about it being something wrong with the baby. She was sure she would have felt it if there was.

She didn't feel like moving around, so she sat down on the couch in the living room, reading a book. "What are you reading?" Markl asked. As always, Heen was never far from the brown haired boy.

"Oh, nothing, Im just passing time a little." Sophie said and put the book down.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I'm better, thank you."

"Where is Howl?" Markl asked.

"The King needed to speak to him today. Appearently there was something really important", Spohie replied. "He told me he'd be back soon." She sighed.

"Is there something I can do for you Sophie?" Markl asked.

"No, thank you dear. Go back outside and play with Heen", she smiled. Markl looked at her.

"Is it really okay?"

"Of course! I have my book right here and I'll tell Calcifer if I need anything." She smiled to assure him that it was really fine.

"Well, alright. But why don't you join us? It's a beautiful day outside!"

Suddenly Howl stormed into the castle. It made both Sophie and Markl startled.

"I'm glad you're all here", Howl said. "We have to leave the castle, right now!" Without another word he went straight to the kitchen to speak to Calcifer.

"Markl! Make Granny ready to leave!" He called from the kitchen. Markl nodded and did what he was told. Sophie labourusly got up from the couch and went to the kitchen to find out what was wrong.

".. and move the castle as high is and far away as possible", Howl strictly told the fire demon when Sophie entered the kitchen.

"But will be exhausting Howl!" Calcifer complained.

"Just do it!" Howl yelled. Sophie and never seen her husband so scared before.

"Darling, what's wrong?" She asked. Howl stormed out to the hallway and went to the enchanted door and made the entrance go to Porthaven.

"You'll be safe there, for now. Wait for me at the 'Aeire of the Eagles Inn' and when I come to get you we move on from there", Howl said and Markl, Heen and the Witch of the Waste obediently went through the door. Sophie on the other hand wanted to know what was wrong.

"Howl! What's the matter? Why do we have to leave?"

"Sophie, please don't argue with me now." he replied.

"I won't stop arguing until you tell me what's wrong!" The strict look she gave her husband made him realize that this was a lost cause.

"Sophie! Are you coming?" Markl called from outside the door.

"She'll be there in a minute, you go on ahead!" Howl shouted at them. "So, you want to know what's happening? A djinn is what is happening!"

"A djinn? What's a djinn?" Sophie asked.

"It's a another kind of demon, far less friendly than dear Calcifer here", Howl said.

"They even drink human blood!" Calcifer added.

"What? What does it want then? Why is it coming here?

"I don't know, I saw it in a vision. I could't see when it's going to come. It could be today or even next week, but it's going to be soon. Very soon. Now, come on Sophie, I told you whats going on, so let's leave."

"Wait, what about you and Calcifer? We have to get something to move him with before we go."

"We're staying, Sophie", Howl said strictly, closely followed by Calcifer's loud protests. "We'll stay here and fight him off."

"What? No you're not! In that case I'm staying too!"

"That's not going to happen." Howl insisted.

"I don't know what you think you're going to do here if the djinn is as powerful as you say, but I will stand by your side. I won't leave you, no matter what!"

"Sophie, enough. It's going to be more dangerous than I have predicted when it gets here, and I cannot risk the life of my wife, and my unborn child. You are going with Markl and the Witch of the Waste to a Porthaven."

"Howl, this is not negotiable. I won't let you go alone!" She yelled and grabbed his arm. "I won't let go. Please Howl, I would die out of concern over you! And the baby will worry too! I can already feel it worrying."

"Sophie, please. I can't lose you. I love you too much to let you put your life on the line just to stay here with me. You can't do anything to protect me anyway. You need to go where it's safe!"

"I won't let go!" she sobbed and dug her face into his chest.

"Don't be stupid! Please understand! I can't take no for an answer." Howl said.

"Yes you can! It doesn't matter what you say. What is going to happen to us if you don't come back?" The thought made her terrified.

"I will come back, I promise."

Sophie didn't say anything. Tears rolled down her face as she thought about parting from him, and just leaving him to face the djinn without her. She couldn't think clearly, all she wanted was to be with her husband. Still holding on to Howl very tightly, she had no plans on letting go.

Suddenly the door slammed open and a dark figure approached them, hoarsely mumbling what Sophie thought to be magical words.

"Sophie", Howl said. He sounded sadder than Sophie had ever head him before. "I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me for this", he said and made a gesture with his hand and started to chant words that Sophie couldn't understand.

All of a sudden, Sophie's body started to feel weird. It seemed like the environment around her grew bigger and bigger, as did Howl. Her body changed and her vision became much sharper than before. Within a short period of time she found herself cradled in Howls arms.

A firm grip around Howl's arm dragged him away from her, and made him drop her. When she tried to scream, only a high-pitched sound made it through her throat. Then she fell and everything became dark.


	4. In which Sophie realizes she's a cat

Sophie had no idea how much time had passed by the time she woke up again. When she tried to get up, she fell right back down on her hands.

Sohpie looked at them and realized that they were not hands at all. They were paws. Black- and furcoated, like a cats.

The moon was the only source of light in the dark night, but somehow Sophie's vision was perfect. She tried to move towards a nearby spring, to get a look at her reflection, a task proven to be more difficult than she expected. She had to walk on her paws, and there seemed to be a tail at the end of her back, that swayed back and forth seemingly with a life on its own, as she was trying to keep balance.

Labourusly, she made it to the spring, after having lost her balance and fallen to then ground many times, and the reflection that met her was a black cat. It took a while for Sophie to realise that it was her own reflection.

Her round belly defenitly pouted out enough to tell that the baby was still in her there, most likely as a kitten, Sophie thought.

She tried to remain calm, after all she had been under a spell before. But the baby in her belly hadn't and Sophie realised that she might have to give birth to it as a cat. What would happen to her baby then? Would it have to remain a kitten for the rest of it's life? Would she ever turn back into a human again?

Then her heart broke when she thought about Howl. The djinn had been dragging him away from her, just before she fell, and she was worried sick. She realized that the only reason he had turned her into a cat was in order to hide her from the djinn.

Sophie had barely seen what it looked like before she fell unconsious. All she had seen was a dark sillhoutte.

She was furious with Howl, yet she knew that he did it only to protect her, and their baby. She knew that she couldn't stay mad at him. But she was still somewhat irritated and he would hear about it. If he was still alive, that was.

She returned to reality and tried to focus on what was important right here right now. She needed to find shelter, preferably quite soon as she felt exhausted. And then she would have to find her way to the closest town. After trying to figure out exactly where she was, that is.

Before moving on she bended down her black head into the spring and quickly found out how difficult it was to drink the way cats does.

When she felt content she started walking. Trying to figure out how to use her four legs and paws was more difficult than expected. Luckily the tail helped her to keep her balance, if only just a little.

The landscape was dark yet her new cat eyes gave her close to perfect vision. Determening by the rocky landscape and lack of vegetation she quickly realized that she was on a mountain. The further she went, the steeper it got.

Walking around on all four was exhausting, and even more so having to carry the extra weight in her belly. She had to take small breaks every now and then in order to gather herself and regain her energy.

Time passed by as she walked, and not before long the sun rose in the east casting its bright light on the mountain. Sophie stopped and looked at the beautiful scenery in amazement and took a deep breath of the cold moring air. Thankfully her velvety fur had kept her warm during the night.

She was close to the mountains foot, which was surrounded by trees. Sophie sighed. At least the trees would provide her with some shelter so she could get some rest, at last. As a cat she figured that she could use her new claws to climb a tree so that she at least wouldn't have to worry about anything on the ground.

Another task proven to be very difficult. As soon as she reached the trees she had started to climbc the trunk of a big and seemingly old tree. Her claws made it it easy to attach herself to the trunk, but it also made the claws hurt immensly to hold on to her own weight. Besides, she had no idea how she was supposed to climb higher.

She rectracted her claws and fell back on the ground, on which she managed to land on her feet again. She was very tired and in an awful mood. She cursed Howl in her mind before moving on to see if she could find shelter elsewhere.


	5. In which a kitten is born

The pain in her pelvic still lingered when Sophie woke up the next morning. She had spent the day and the following night inside an uprooted tree.

She was starved, and her belly hurt a lot more than usual. Sophie walked in the opposite direction of which she

came from. The trees where high and from Sophie's perspective it looked as if they reached the sky. As the day went by, she became hungrier and hungrier. There was nothing she could eat around here. No berries or anything. The only thing there was made Sophie feel sick and she wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary. It was the things that cats normally eats, such as mouses and birds.

A loud rumbling noise from her stomach made her decide quickly to try and catch something. She pricked up her ears and tried to catch any sound of movement around her. She sneaked in the direction of a dull rustling noise, moving as quiet as she possibly could. The source of the rustling was a tiny mole, digging a hole in the ground.

The hunting instinct made Sophie somehow realize just what she was supposed to do and not before long she was a bit less hungry than before.

She didn't know if it was because she was so hungry, or if it was because she had taken on the instincts of a cat, but the whole meal was rather scrumptious and she wanted more.

Satisfying her hunger took all day and Sophie learned that she preferred eating mouses over birds. The feathers of birds would only get stuck in her teeth and it was messier than eating mouses or moles. At least she wasn't hungry anymore, but neither was she full.

Walking in darkness was no longer a problem to her. She was relieved that she could still move on, even though night had fallen. Actually she felt more energetic now than she had during the day. Her black coat made her practically invisible in the night and she moved quickly to make up for the time she lost when she was hunting and eating.

After walking a while Sophie started to feel hopeless. Her body ached, the forest seemed to be never ending and she didn't even know where she was. She didn't dare to think what had happened to Howl and Calcifer. Hopefully Markl and the others were safe though.

A sharp pain in her stomach made her stop in her tracks. This time it lingered much longer than usual and Sophie could barely move at all. She laid down on the grass completely exposed to any other animal passing by. She quickly dragged herself under a thick bush where she waited for the pain to go away. It didn't.  
_

The following morning Sophie wasn't lost alone anymore. She'd given birth to a tiny black kitten that she was now carefully washing, like a real mother-cat would have done to its young. She didn't know what else to do.

His fur was as black as hers and he was squeaking loudly in protest when she stoked her rough tongue on him. Sophie barely knew anything about caring for human babies, and she knew even less about kittens, but even so now she knew exactly how to take proper care of him.

She quickly learned that he made different noises when he wanted different things. For example when he wanted to be fed he'd make a more high-pitched sound than when he was too cold. Sophie stayed with him under that bush for at least a week, only reluctantly leaving when she needed to eat. She hated leaving him alone. He'd get cold and it was awful to hear him mew after her.

Nursing him took a lot of energy of her and she was hungry all the time. Within just a few days she had become really skinny. It was then she realized that she needed to move on. But moving on would mean exposing her son to the dangerous world outside. Besides he could barely walk and his eyes were not yet opened.

She wondered if the quick development of a kitten would affect his age when he was turned back into a human? None the less she would soon find out if only she moved quickly. She was sure. Or at least she hoped so.

She decided to travel during daytime, as most predators were nocturnal. When the sun stood high on the sky, she grabbed the tiny kitten by the skin on his neck and started walking. He made loud noises in protest but when he realized that it wouldn't help he settled down.

Sophie's stamina wasn't the best and she had to stop many times, due to fatigue. She felt weaker and more vulnerable than she'd ever done before. Then at last, after two days, she was feeling rather euphoric when she finally reached the end of the forest.


	6. In which a hat serves as a bed

It was a rather small town, that reminded Sophie much of her own hometown, Market Chipping, exept for some rather extraordinary buildings.

She moved in the edge of the city, carefully carrying her kitten, which she had decided to name Morgan, between her jaws.

A lonely and seemingly abandoned hat flew around in the cold wind. Sophie realized that it would make a great bed for them. She put Morgan down and went after the hat and then she chose a quiet spot next to an old house, sheltered by a neglected shrubbery that had grown thick.

There she tucked Morgan into the hat and laid down next to him. She kept a careful watch over her surroundings as Morgan slept soundly beside her. She was tired too, but she didn't get any sleep. Her mind fluttered with regrett and longing for her family. Why couldn't he have left the castle, just like Howl said? Then at least she would have been able to give little Morgan the safe and good life that he desrved. Then she wouldn't have to starve either.

What if she starved to death? Then there was no one to take care of little Morgan and Sophie couldn't bare the thought. She grew weary of just lying there with her mind racing and thinking out various disaster scenarios, so she left Morgan in the hat as she went out to search for at least something to eat. At least he'd lie more comfortable now, even though he was alone.

She learned that the towns name was Zanzib and cats were not welcomed here. She had lost count of how many times people had tried to kick her away, some of them managed to hit her and they certainly had no sympathy for a starving cat.

In fact she hadn't seen a single one since she came to Zanzib. They were probably smart enough to leave this awful place.

Another thing Sophie realized was that there were no wizard shops either. How was she going to find someone to change her back when there was no wizards in this God-forsaken town?

She hated the town more and more and she too felt an urge to get out of it as quickly as possible, before she was kicked to death, or God-forbid someone found Morgan. She wouldn't dare to think of what they might do to him, if they had no mercy for an adult cat then she could imagine what they would do to a helpless kitten.

Once again her mind seemed stuck on disaster scenarios and she raced back to where she'd left Morgan. Once she got there she was almost positive that Morgan wouldn't be there anymore, or that he was dead, but to her relief he was sleeping as soundly as when she left.

Had she been human she would have sighed with relief. She laid down in the hat next to Morgan, still as hungry as she was before, but this time she managed to get some sleep as well.


	7. In which Howl sees Wizard Suliman

**Author's note: Hi guys! First of all, I can't believe how many views this has got. And I was so happy when I say that there are people who's following this and has put it in their favorites! Thank you! I'm so glad and grateful! Another thing. In the book, there is no Madame Suliman, the character she's based on is called Ben Sullivan, who later calls himself Wizard Suliman. Like Howl, he's really from our modern-time Wales. He's romantically involved with Sophie's sister Lettie. So in this fiction there is no Madame Suliman, only Wizard Suliman. :) Enjoy!**

_

Howl was inconsolable. At first he couldn't even realize it. The loss of Sophie had made him a wreck. He'd been oozed green goo all over and not even Calcifer could comfort him.

His beloved Sophie was gone, all because of him. He had been unable to protect her. He _dropped_ her. Why did he have to _drop_ her? All he wanted was to protect her, to hide her from the powerful djinn.

The djinn had its´mind on taking over the caste for itself, and it wanted to possess Calcifer's powers. It was too strong to drive out, but Calcifer didn't want to let the djinn to get the satisfaction of winning, so when he realized that Howl didn't manage to fight it back, he broke the spell on the castle and left the fireplace before the djinn got to him. That's why the castle fell. He hadn't known about Sophie, he thought that that everyone was safe in Porthaven.

After the moment the djinn entered and attacked, Howl was too overcome with the tought that he's dropped Sophie to fight back. He was too overwhelmed with self-pity to do anything. Had it not been for Calcifer who managed to get a hold of him in time, the castle would have crumbled over him.

The rest of the family was as devastated as he was, but unlike him they had accepted that she was gone. After all the castle had been high up in the air. A fall like that would have killed her. But Howl refused to believe that. He would never let her go. He would search until he found her, or until he at least knew that she was really dead.

The castle had been at four places at the same time. Chances were that when Calcifer abolished the spell Sophie could have gone anywhere, and Howl never stopped searching, even tough he had no idea where to search for her. The hope of finding her kept him going, pushing his own limits to the highest.

Markl and Calcifer was worried. Howl refused to eat, to sleep and he was barely ever home with them. He had used location charms and tracking spells he was so devastated it seemed like no matter how hard he tried he couldn't make them work properly. His mind was a blur and he had a hard time trying to focus.

While Howl spent most of his time searching for Sophie, the other family members stayed at the same inn they went to in the first place, despite of Calcifer going on and on about having to rebuild their home, claiming that he hated being trapped in an old wood oven.

Howl of course knew that he needed to take care of them, but his mind was set on other things that were more important to him right now.

One misty morning, Howl was just getting ready to leave when Markl came up to him.

"Howl?"

"Markl. I thought you were sleeping", Howl said.

"No. I've been awake for a while now. Are you going to look for Sophie again?"

"Yes. I'm going to Kingsbury to speak to Wizard Suliman."

"Does Lettie know about Sophie?" Markl asked.

"No, and neither does Suliman yet. I'll ask for his help, but I won't tell Lettie until I'm sure."

Howl knew that Lettie was very oversensitive and he didn't want to be the one to break the news about Sophie to her. If she believed that her sister was dead and then found out that she, even against the odds were alive after all, she'd probably have a heart attack. But Howl hoped that his wizard companion Suliman would be able to help him with a few searching spells.

"Howl, Sophie is still alive, isn't she?" The little brown haired boy asked with a certain sound of sadness in his voice.

"I hope so Markl. And until we know for sure, there is no point is grieving."

"But still. What are we going to do without her?" Markl said and large tears streamed down on his face.

"Hey don't worry Markl", Howl said and gave the boy a tight hug. "I'll bring her back, you know I will."

The magical portals may have been destroyed, but Howl used a spell that summoned the wind into the direction he was going. Reaching Kingsbury only took a few minutes.

Suliman was already expecting him, so Howl hoped that he could receive him right away without having to run into Lettie first.

Once Howl entered the huge mansion he found out to his dismay that Lettie was in the hallway to greet him.

"Howl! Oh, Howl it's been forever! How are you?" Lettie asked and threw herself over his shoulders. She was a usually a beautiful and classy woman and today was no exception. Her long hair was tied up in a knot on her head and the frilly blue dress she wore matched her eyes perfectly.

"I'm fine, thank you. It's good to see you", Howl lied. Not that he had anything against Lettie, but he hated having to lie to her.

"How's Sophie? And the baby? Has it come yet?" She almost screamed in excitement.

"Darling, at least let him in before you bombard him with questions like that. At least give him a chance to answer for goodness sake", Suliman said as he entered the hallway. His dark hair fell in stripes over his sharp face. He wore a red outfit that looked very classy. After all, he was the Royal Wizard.

"It's good to see you Howl. Shall we go into my study?" Suliman said.

"What about the baby?" Lettie asked. "I'm its aunt after all, you can at least tell me if it's here yet?"

"No, it's not", Howl said and smiled at her.

"Oh", Lettie said and looked disappointed. "Well, can I at least get you some tea?"

"Yes, thank you dear. We'll have it in the study, please", Suliman said and he and Howl entered the study, where Suliman sat down on the rather pompous char behind the desk.

The whole room was elegantly decorated and reminded Howl of a fancy library. Bookshelves were lined against the walls, which barely made the wallpaper visible.

"So Howl. What's on your mind?" Suliman asked.

"Well, to be honest I have a rather big favour to ask of you. Technically two, in fact."

"Really? What may that favour be then?" Suliman asked, as he raised an eyebrow.

"I need your help to find Sophie. I've mad a terrible mistake."

"What? Sophie has left you?"

"No, it's not like that. The castle was attacked by a djinn. Sophie refused to leave with the others... I was only trying to protect her."

"What do you mean?"

"I've made a terrible mistake.I thought I could protect her by hiding her, but the djinn attacked earlier than I predicted and Sophie was still with me. In the heat of the moment I wanted her away, so that the djinn would be unable to get her, so I turned her into a cat. But instead of saving her I lost her. Calcifer thought she was in Porthaven with the others so he broke the spell making the castle fall, and Sophie with it."

"I see", Suliman said calmly. "That's why you look such a mess. It's not like you to show with dirty clothes and messy hair. I'm guessing this is why didn't seem that happy to see my Lettie."

"Yes", Howl admitted. "I can't bear being without Sophie, besides if she's still alive then it's time for her to give birth at any day now. I don't know what to do. I can't even focus on my magic properly anymore. That's why I came here. I need your help to find her."

"You know I will do all in my power. Where was the castle when it fell?"

"I'm not really sure, somewhere north of here I think. But I've already searched in all four placed the castle was, including the area where the castle crashed."

Suliman went to the one of the many bookshelves and looked through the vast row of books until he finally took one out.

"I will cast the locating spell at once. What's that other favour then?"

"Thank you Suliman. You'll always have my gratitude for this. The other favour? Don't tell Letty, just yet. Not before we know what happened to Sophie."


	8. In which Sophie finally gets some food

**Author's note: Hi guys! Again, I need to say how extremely glad I was for the favorites and followers. Thank you so much! I'm so happy! And also, like I mentioned before, this fan fiction is a mixture of the book and the movie, and in the book, Howl's eyes are in fact green and not blue :)**

The air was chilly and even with her fur Sophie was still cold. She kept her body over little Morgan in order to keep in dry from the rain. For everyday that passed she became more and more miserable.

If it hadn't been for Morgan, she would haven given up long ago. Five days had passed since she arrived to Zanzib. Morgan seemed to grow stronger and bigger every time Sophie looked at him. He even opened his eyes now. It wasn't easy to see any resemblance to Howl, with Morgan being a kitten and all, but his eyes were just as green as his father's.

Sophie watched watched with pride as he took his first wobbly steps and she wished that Howl was there to see it too. No matter how frustrated she was at him, she missed him and she prayed that he was still alive and that she would be able to see him again.

As soon as Morgan was strong enough, she decided to leave Zanib. Until then Sophie would need to steal as much food as possible, even though she hated the idea of stealing. The only thing about it that consoled her a little was how awful those people had been to her. Besides, she needed to eat something more other than a tiny mouse every now and then.

She walked up a dimly lit street, just after sunset and she sat her eyes on a bazaar that was just about to close. She had watched the merchandise of the bazaar during the day, and noticed a plump looking chicken breast that looked if possible even more appetizing after being hungry for so long.

She knew she had to be quick. The person who ran the bazaar was gathering wares to tidy up for the night, but even though he was busy, Sophie relied on the darkness that would soon fall to cover her from his sight.

When the moment was right Sophie charged, hoping that she would manage to surprise the man. Once she got to the chicken and tried to drag it away something hit her hard on her side and she flew sideways from the chicken. The sharp pain from the kick made her lose her breath.

"You dumb little vermin", she heard the man say and then she received another kick. She screamed out in pain and remained on the ground. In the corner of her eye, she saw the man grab a pike-like object, and Sophie really didn't want to know what it was.

"No, stop!" Another voice called. Sophie remained motionless, but realized that somebody picked her up.

"That's your cat?" The bazaar keeper asked in a stern and rather nasty voice, Sophie thought.

"Yes, I'll be taking it away now, I'm sorry sir!" The voice of her rescuer said. It was a soft voice, that must have belonged to a child.

"Stupid thing almost cost me a chicken. Better keep it under close watch, next time I won't be this nice." The bazaar keeper said.

"I will. Thank you so much!" The child said.

Sophie made no effort to wriggle loose as the child carried her away. Not before long they arrived at a small house, with two floors.

Sophie took a good at the child and saw the child was dressed in rather nice clothes. His curly hair was messy, and his dark skin was covered in freckles.

"Don't worry", he said to her. "I'm going to take care of you. You're so scrawny. Let's get you something to eat." To Sophie that sentence sounded like an angelic choir. Finally she'd get a proper meal.

"Just be quiet, if mother sees you we'll both be in trouble", the boy continued.

At last Sophie had the first proper meal since she was turned into a cat. She yawned tiredly when she was full and took the opportunity to enjoy the warmth from actually being inside.

The little boy gently stroke her head and scratched her back.

"I've always wanted a cat", he said and smiled. He kind of reminded Sophie of Markl, with the natural sense of kindness and passion for animals. They even seemed to be the same age.

She really wanted to stay, but she couldn't stop thinking about Morgan. She needed to get to him as soon as possible, but she felt bad for having to leave the kind boy.

He brought her up into his room and took his own bed pillow and put it on the floor in order for her to sleep on it. He smiled and then he went to bed. Sophie thought that if only she was fast enough, she'd be able to get Morgan and bring him here too before the household awoke. If only they remained hidden on the boy's room, surely there'd be no problem?


	9. In which Morgan meows a lot

Some time later Sophie was back at the place where she'd left Morgan. There was a tree just outside the boy's window, which Sophie laboriously managed to climb down.

Even after this time she was still not a hundred percent sure in her new feline body. Morgan was sleeping soundly when she got to him, but he was still shaking. The poor thing was probably freezing. After all Sophie had been gone far much longer than she expected. She gently woke Morgan up, who loudly protested with his loud meowing.

Sophie gently lift him up by the skin on his neck and went back to the boy's house. Morgan was constantly meowing, and Sophie tried to hurry as much as possible. The sooner she'd tuck him in the warm and cozy pillow, the faster he'd fall back asleep.

Hopefully she'd avoid waking somebody up. But climbing up the tree with a kitten between her jaws was not easy. She tried hard not to drop him, which made him squeak even louder.

Sophie wasn't the best climber but after a while she managed to sneak back into the boys room. Morgan was still whining when Sophie carefully tucked him in on the pillow and finally got some rest as well. For the first time in what seemed to be forever she was feeling safe and warm.

The following morning Sophie was awakened by the overjoyed squeal from the boy, as he realized that Sophie had taken Morgan in as well.

Sophie though he was a little too excited when he picked Morgan up little too careless. She hissed to try and tell him to be more careful and he seemed to get the hint.

"I'm going downstairs to see if mother is awake. You stay here in the meantime, and be try to be quiet!" The boy said and went downstairs.

Sophie didn't object. She's be as quiet as it took, just get to stay here for a few days. Morgan on the other hand was a different story, as he had too much exploring to do, and being so little he had very little control over his body. He would often fall and meow after her, or he also meowed after her when he's gotten too far away from her and Sophie was actually relieved when he finally went to sleep. Hopefully nobody had heard him.

After an hour or so, the boy came back, holding a small parcel in his hands. The opened it in front of Sophie and to her delight it contained small chunks of meat. It didn't take long for Sophie to devour it all. Then she heard a female voice coming from downstairs.

"Fadi, where did you go off to with your breakfast? Are you going to eat it on your room?"

"Yes, mother, I would like to eat it here please!" The boy called back. Sophie was glad to finally learn his name. She'd felt bad not knowing. She also felt bad for eating all of the food, that had been Fadi's breakfast. The poor boy would have to go hungry for the rest of the day now!

"Alright, but you need to come down here as soon as you finish. You don't want to be late, do you?" Fadi's mother called.

"No mother, I won't", Fadi answered, but still looked at Sophie and Morgan happily, as if he had no plans to leave the room at all. He reached for Sophie to scratch behind her ear, which Sophie had to admit was feeling way much better than she'd anticipated with the boys rather excited behavior.

Now this was something she could get used to, being well-fed and petted all day. But even so she knew that this wouldn't last and that she would have to leave soon anyway. She just needed to eat properly and hopefully gain some weight before they left.


	10. In which Howl travels to Zanzib

Despite Howl's efforts to keep Lettie unaware of the situation regarding her sister, she was simply too curious to let Howl and Suliman to talk alone, and not before long she knew the whole story about what happened to Sophie and their flying castle.

She had insisted that Howl and the remains of their family would move in with her and Suliman until they managed to get a new place. As relieved Howl was now he'd constantly had to listen to Lettie going on and on about how badly they needed to find Sophie. As if he didn't know that.

An early morning Howl was bent over a cup of tea in the quiet dining room. It was too eary for anyone else to be up so he had the whole room to himself, with the exception to the semi-awake Calcifer who crackled tiredly from the fire place.

Howl was in no mood to talk to anyone. He was grumpy and tired so when Suliman entered the room with a peppy attitude was one the verge of throwing something at him.

"Glad to see you're awake so early!" Suliman said.

"A proper 'good morning' would have done it too", Howl said annoyed and rubbed his temples.

"I've got news about Sophie", Suliman beamed.

"What!" Howl rose abruptly from his seat, which caused the chair to fall down on the floor.

"Zanzib." Suliman said with a content smile, seemingly very pleased over the fact that he had managed to do something that Howl couldn't.

"Zanzib? The desert town? Are you sure?"

"Positive. And she seems to be moving as well, so all you need to do it find her somewhere around that area."

"But it's such a long way to Zanzib. Is it even logical for her to have ended up way out there?"

"Obviously." Suliman snorted.

"Fine, then that's where I'll go." Howl said. Howl's bad mood disappeared as soon as he got the news about Sophie. For the first time, Howl felt positive. Suliman's spell found Sophie moving about, so she wasn't dead at least.

Finally, he would find her, even if he had to turn all of Zanzib upside down.

Howl was too impatient to wait, so he went to his room to get ready to leave right away. He didn't even bother to tell the drowsy Calcifer about the news.

Later, during noon he was just about to go when Markl walked up to him, closely followed by Heen.

"Hey Howl, I was just thinking", Markl said. "That if you're going to find Sophie in Zanzib, I mean, she could be anywhere. I thought that it would facilitate the search if I and Heen were to help you. He could use his nose to track her down" The dog grinned foolishly at Howl.

"Fine", Howl said briefly. "You can tag along. But come quickly, before Lettie wakes up." (Lettie was quite a sleeper).

"What about the Witch of the Waste? Do you think she'll be alright while we are gone?" Markl asked.

"I'm sure Lettie will be glad to look after her for a while. And I'm sure that Granny wouldn't mind listeing to Lettie going on and on about things that upset her.. Besides, we can't take Calcifer with us, so he can keep an eye out for us."

Markl nodded and made himself ready to go. Howl decided that the easiest way to travel was by using seven-league boots. Markl would just have to hold Heen in his arms as they went.

The seven-league boots made it the trip to Zanzib in just a matter of minutes, but they also made Markl trip as he tried to hold the clumsy dog in his arms. Howl gave him a helping hand while he looked around.

The town looked quite tragic. The buildings were shabby looking and there was sand everywhere. Howl would usually never enter such a place, but he knowing that Sophie might be near, he didn't hesitate.

"Markl, why don't you go and find an inn where we can stay during our 'visit'", Howl said and handed him a sack of coins.

"Sure! What about you and Heen?" Markl asked.

"We'll start the search right away. Let's meet here in four hours. Remember that Sophie is still under my spell so we're looking for a black cat. Although Heen shouldn't have any problems picking up her scent."

Heen nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll go to the north and Heen, you go south."

"What about me?" Markl asked.

"As soon as you find a place to stay, why don't you go south and meet up with Heen?" Markl nodded. Howl was not fond of the idea of letting Markl go on his own in an unfamiliar town, so it would be better if Heen was with him.

Howl himself would have to cover more land to search but he didn't mind that. Hopefully, it wouldn't be long before he finally got his beloved Sophie back again.


	11. In which the djinn appears

Sophie awoke early one morning, even before both Morgan and Fadi.

A few days had passed since Fadi rescued her and took her in. She felt well rested and she was in a good mood. Today was the day, Sophie though. Today she had to leave, even though she'd grown very fond of Fadi. He was a good boy, but she would never be able to break the spell if she stayed in Zanzib.

Sophie gently poked Morgan with her head to wake him up. Green drowsy eyes met her, which seemed to have no other plan other than going back to sleep. She picked him up and hoped that he would be too tired to protest.

Holding the drowsy kitten with her teeth, she went out the window and tried to climb down the tree as smoothly as she could, without getting Morgan or herself hurt. Then she went north, back to the mountain where she'd fallen down. She decided to go north from there and see what lied in the opposite direction of Zanzib. Hopefully a bit friendlier town where there would be a wizard who cold help her. Then she'd be able to ask for help to get home.

Since Morgan had got quite the hang of walking Sophie didn't have to carry him all the time. Soon the sandy landscape was replaced with more and more trees, until finally they reached the forest. As they went, Morgan could run and play while Sophie hunted for food.

They made a huge progress and not before long, they were back at the mountain on which Sophie's journey had begun. Sophie didn't remember it to be as high, and not to mention steep. She looked at Morgan, who was busy chasing down a butterfly and realized that it would never work to bring him on climbing.

She decided to see of it was possible to walk around. Even if it would take days longer it was still the better alternative.

Suddenly she heard a loud noise. It was a screeching noise that made Sophie get the chills. She hurried over to Morgan at once, just in case and not before long a dark shadowy silhouette appeared in front of her.

Luckily it hadn't seen her yet. Sophie recognized it. It was the djinn. The djinn that had attacked the castle and caused this mess from the beginning.

Sophie heart pounded in her chest and she decided that it would be best to keep still and quiet. For once Morgan seemed to agree and he was quiet too.

The dark figure had broad shoulders but a tiny lower body. His long arms were muscular and it he used them to throw rocks around in frustration and screamed. It was a horrible sound that made Morgan want to hide his face into his mother's black coat.

His face was hideous and reminded Sophie of a deformed pig. His skin was a dark shade of red and almost transparent. One could easily see the muscles underneath it. It was truly a gruesome sight and Sophie couldn't remember being so scared before. She stayed put for a while and watched the djinn wander around.

It was almost as he was searching for something. Suddenly, it's sharp black eyes shot open and looked right at her.

**Author's note: Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger! I hope that you want to keep reading anyway ^^; Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it!**


	12. In which Markl meets Fadi

As far as Howl was concerned cats were not very popular in Zanzib. Apparently it had something to do with an illness that they spread a few years ago.

Hearing that made Howl concerned. Cats were seen as pests, so he wondered how Sophie had been treated. No one he asked seemed to have seen a lost cat, so Howl turned to his magic. It was easier to focus now that he had his hopes up a bit more.

He walked on the main street until he found an old bazaar. There were no wares in it at at the moment and there was no one to be seen around it. The tracking spell he'd used reveled to him that something had happened here involving Sophie. Of that there were no doubt.

There were not that many people outside. Howl thought it was due to it being Sunday. He investigated around the bazaar and even tried to sneak in when he though no one saw. Unfortunately, someone did.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A voice called. It was a middle aged man with a thick black beard and wearing a kandura. Howl tried to act calm and quickly came up with a cover-up story.

"Hello sir. I'm just investigating, as I heard that there were some cats around here. In order to prevent the illness to spread once more, I'm here to get rid of them. There was one here some time ago, wasn't it?" Howl said and tried to make it sound as convincing as possible.

"Well yeah, there actually was a black cat wondering around here a few days ago." The man said. He seemed to have bought Howl's story.

"Really?" Howl could barely contain his excitement. "Do you know where it went?"

"To be honest with you, the last time I saw it around here I saw the shop-keeper of this bazaar kick it half to death. Haven't seen it around since, so I guess your problem is already solved."

Howl's heart sunk like a stone.

"What? It hasn't been here since?"

"No, the scrawny little thing probably got quite some injury from the kick. I didn't see what happened next but it looked too weak to last through an injury like that. Good for you, right?"

Howl didn't answer. He could barely control his actions as he turned around and went down to the town square where he was supposed to meet Markl and Heen. Every step he took seemed to get heaveier.

His face turned pale and green slime oozed down his cheeks and left gooey footprints behind him as he walked.

Markl and Heen on the other hand was busy searching the southern parts of Zanzib. Markl had to make an efford to catch up with Heen, as he ran around smelling the ground.

Suddenly Heen raised his head and stared at a two story house.

"What's the matter Heen?" Markl asked. Heen pricked his long fuzzy ears and barked. Then he grabbed Markl's pants, to show drag him along to the house.

"Alright, I get it!" Markl said as he went in to the yard, closely followed by Heen and knocked on the door.

No one answered.

"Hello?" Markl tried but there was still nothing but silence coming from the house. Just as Markl was about to turn around and leave a boy and what seemed to be an older sister came in to the garden as well.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked. She looked to be around the same age as Sophie's sister Martha, Markl thought. She had long black hair and her cheeks were as freckled as the little boy beside her.

The boy was around his own age and he looked absolutely devastated.

"Uhm, yes please. My name is Markl and I'm looking for my cat. She's black and I lost her some time ago." Markl saw the the little boy, who looked so sad suddenly turned somewhat tense.

"There are no cats here", the girl said.

"Now, if you'll excuse us." She opened the door and went inside, but the boy stayed out.

"Is that your dog too?" He asked.

"Yeah, this is Heen." Markl said.

"May I pet him?"

"Sure."

The boy knelt down to pet Heen, who seemed to feel like a king every time someone scratched his belly.

"I think I've seen your cat", the boy said after a while. "She's got blue eyes too, doesn't she?"

"Yes that's her!" Markl said and beamed up. There seemed to be no other cats around and he was looking for a black one, presumably with Sophie's blue eyes.

"Is she here now? That must be why Heen brought me to this house. What a good boy!" Markl said and gave Heen a good pat behind his fuzzy ear.

"She left some time ago, she and her kitten. I took them in from the street", the boy said. "But she's not here anymore. I was really sad when she left, but now I realize that it must have been because she was looking after you." The boy said.

"She had a kitten? I have to tell Howl!" Markl said

"Howl?"

"Howl is my master. He's a wizard! It's a long story, but Sophie, the cat you took in is actually his wife but under a spell", Markl said.

"What? She was human all this time?"

"We lost her after our home was attacked and we've been looking for her ever since."

"But she had a kitten with her." the boy said and looked generally confused.

"She was pregnant when she was put under the spell. The kitten is also really a human."

"That's unbelievable."

"Do you know where she went after she left here?" Markl asked.

"I'm afraid not. One morning they were just gone.."

"Please, can you help us? You know this town and it would really ease our search a lot!" Markl said.

"I'd be glad to, but I don't think she's still here in Zanzib. It's not the best place for cats to be, considering what most people think of them here. But I can take you around the town at least."

"Thank you so much!" Markl said and bowed his head.

"Thank you for letting me pet your dog!" The boy said and smiled. "I love animals! My name is Fadi, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Fadi, and thank you so much again!"

It didn't take long for Markl and Fadi to become friends. They spoke about all and nothing on the way back to the town square with Heen happily trotting after them.

When they got to the square Markl found that Howl was already there. He was sunken down on a bench, looking as if there was no happiness in the world.

"Howl! Howl what's the matter?" Markl asked and ran up to his master. His clothes were soaked in green slime.

"We were too late Markl. Sophie.. she's gone." Howl whispered.

"I know, but we can still find her." Markl said "Besides, my new friend Fadi said that Sophie had a kitten with her! She's already given birth!"

"What?" Howl seemed amazed but then just as rueful as before. "But how can a small baby, let alone a blind kitten survive on its own? Sophie was kicked to death by a merchant Markl. There is no way that my child can have survived."

"Excuse me, sir?" Fadi said as he walked up to them. "But after I took the cat in, I mean your wife.. it was after a bazaar merchant over at the second street over there", he said and pointed at the very same direction in which Howl had found out about the dreadful news. ".. kicked her. I love cats and I felt sorry for her, so I took her home. She was fine when she stayed with me. And the kitten was also fine."

Howl turned his attention to the dark-skinned boy.

"What are you saying, that you took her in? She survived?" Suddenly Howl beamed up like a sun. "This is fantastic! I thought that I had lost my Sophie all oveer again. Where do you live then?"

"Thing is", Markl, said. "They left. But Fadi promised to help us search the town at least! They may still be here!"

"Fadi, is it?" Howl asked the boy.

"Yes, sir."

"I thank you for taking care of my wife and my child. But you don't have to assist us anymore. I appreciate your help, but we'll do fine without you from now on. Markl?"

"Yes Howl?"

"You can stay here with your new friend. Me and Heen are going to continue to look for her." Howl didn't feel drained anymore, after all Sophie was still alive and now they had a child that he needed to find. He felt new energy grasp him and he felt like he could take anything on as he and the ugly dog walked down the street.


	13. In which Howl finds Sophie and Morgan

**Author's note:**** This is probably the shortest chapter I've ever made. I'm really sorry about that! I'm just trying to come up with a good ending and I also wanted to draw out the tension a little :P I hope you enjoy!**

Howl took up the tracking spell once more, now that he knew Sophie was still alive after all. The emotional roller coaster he'd been through took it's toll on his energy, but after finding out about Sophie – and their child he got renewed powers.

Heen followed Howl closely as he occasionally withered in the air. Using the spell Howl was lead north and having Heen with him who used his nose sniff after Sophie made him think he was definitely going in the right direction. It was like a confirmation of the spell and Howl wanted to be sure.

Using a spell to summon the wind made Howl travel faster. He picked up Heen so that the poor old dog wouldn't have to run on his own tiny legs.

Following the track took them to a mountain, which Howl identified as the Alberian Mountain. It had to be due to it's location in comparison to Zanzib.

Something seemed out of the ordinary though. There was supposed to be a lonely and isolated place, quite far away from any city, but now it looked as if someone spent hours digging and destroying the lush landscape. Heen whined and Howl let him down on the ground, where he hid behind Howl's legs.

Howl followed the trail of destruction, which went on for quite a distance. That's when he heard the jarring squeak of a kitten. He immediately went to the source of the sound and at last he found the black cat he's been looking after so feverishly. She was lying motionless on the ground with a tiny black kitten desperately trying to get her attention. Howl quickly knelt down beside them. At least she was breathing.

"Soph? Sophie?" Howl said, but he recieved no answer. He carefully picked up the tiny kitten to get a proper look at him. "Hi there", Howl smiled at the little kitten, who seemed less than amused over being taken away from his mother. "So, you're supposed to be my son? What a little fuzzball you are!" He cradled the kitten in his arms while trying to make contact with Sophie. Heen sat down beside the black cat and looked at her and sighed.

Needless to say Howl was getting worried when Sophie didn't reply. He gently put his hand on her tiny body. She was scrawny and Howl noticed blood on his hand when he drew back his hand to get a proper hold of his child.

As much as he wanted to, breaking the spell now would cause more injury to Sophie besides she'd be cold without her fur. Not to mention the little fuzzball that he gently held in his arms. He was getting ready to cast a transportation spell to get Sophie home for treatment, but suddenly another presence made itself noticed and Howl immediately became at unease. He slowly turned around and faced the very same fiend that was the cause of all of this mess. It was the djinn.


	14. In which Howl turns himself to a monster

**Author's**** note: ****Heya! Just a little update regarding the rating of this fan fiction. I don't know how sensitive you are, but due to the fight scene in this chapter I decided to at least change it to K+.**

**Thanks for reading! **

The djinn stared intensely at them. As subtle as he could Howl knelt down and reached the meowing black kitten to Heen.

"Take him to Markl in Zanzib and then hide. Stay there as long as you need to, but for the love of God, don't let him find you", Howl said.

Casting a teleportation spell would take too long, and there would be a good chance that the djinn would make it through after them.

Heen obeyed and gently picked up Morgan from Howls arms and made a run for it. The djinn grinned, reveling a wide row of sharp teeth and said with a low and threatening voice.

"Lucky me, I thought that you'd cast a whole load of protection spells around you and your family and yet here you are, perfectly exposed to me and my revenge."

"Your revenge? What did we do to make you want to get revenge?"

"You cost me a heart", the djinn replied.

"The fire demon doesn't have the heart anymore! He has no power to give you!" Howl said in all honesty. Thanks to Sophie he got his heart back from Calcifer.

"Why should I believe you? The only way to find out would to rip your chest open and find that out for myself." His dark eyes pierced though Howl and he was actually scared. He knew that he most likely wouldn't be able to take down such a powerful foe all by himself. Not even with Calcifer's help in the castle had he been able to do so.

But the anger that was boiling up inside of him gave him courage. The djinn's grin didn't cease as he turned his gaze into the direction in which Heen went with Morgan as if he was gonna go after them.

"Don't you dare", Howl threatened. He was now furious. Thinking back about the rather emotional days that had passed made his fear shrink even more and his anger grew stronger. The djinn was going to get it.

"Or else?" The djinn said with a cocky tune to it's voice.

"You go through me." Howl got up and stood tall right in front of the djinn.

"An easy thing to do", the djinn said. "Just as easy of taking care of that woman. Did you really think I wouldn't sense the spell you put on her?"

"What did you do to her", Howl growled. He could barely hold back his anger this time.

"The very same thing I'm about to do to you", the djinn said and hurled himself towards Howl.  
Howl barely had time to react, but he managed to hurl himself out of harms way and the djinn missed him by far.

Howl looked at Sophie who was still lying motionless on the ground. The djinn didn't flinch for one moment, even after hitting the ground. Howl quickly cast a wind spell which made the djinn fly away at least a few meters.

Howl took the opportunity to run up to Sophie and gently picked her up in his arms and then he ran for it. He had to get her to safety at least.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it very long before sharp nails slashed long cuts on his back and he fell. He couldn't help but to scream, as the pain burned badly. He turned around quickly and managed to avoid another slash.

He still held on to Sophie as hard as he could. He needed to get her away somehow. The djinn never seemed to grow tired or weary like Howl did, specially with the long wounds that now covered his back.

He tried fighting back with various elemental spells, but the djinn seemed unaffected.

Suddenly, he got an idea.. He knew of a spell that would facilitate the fight and even out the odds, but casting that spell would maybe make him unable to return to to his Sophie again.  
Chances were he would never be able to come back, he may never see Sophie again and he may not be around to see his child grow up.

But he needed to take that chance in order to keep protect Sophie and ensure that the djinn would never go after his family again.

He remembered the spell that turned him into the bird-like monster from the time when he was heartless. Hopefully he wouldn't loose himself to the spell, like he almost did before, now that he had his heart back.

Howl carefully placed Sophie on the ground, still with his back turned to the djinn.

"What's the matter?" The djinn grinned. "Are you already giving up?"

Howl didn't answer. Relief went over him as he saw how Sophie slowly started to move. She opened her blue eyes and looked surprised at him. He responded by giving her a warm smile.

"Don't worry, Soph. I'm here now", he said while petting her cheek. Upon meeting her eyes he got all of the reassurance he needed to preform the spell. No further harm was going to happen to her from now on. He rose and turned around to see the djinn once more charging for him. Howl quickly mumbled the magical words and not before long his form began to change.


	15. In which the djinn looses an eye

Sophie watched in horror how her husbands appearance started to change. His skin turned gray and grew feathers, his arms stretched out and became wings and he turned into the very monster that Sophie feared he'd become again.

Once the transformation was complete, Howl was as hideous as the djinn, even though he still possessed some of his ordinary face proportions, such as his green eyes. His face was a pale shade of gray, framed by a jumble of black feathers. His feet were turned into sharp bird-like talons and he growled furiously at the djinn.

The djinn stopped in its track when he saw what happened to Howl. He growled back and the monsters hurled themselves towards each other. Sophie rose and tried to keep her balance. Her Howl had come for her. He' was alive and he'd found them.

All of the worry she'd felt regarding Morgan let go of her. Now at least she knew he'd have a good life. Instead, she started to worry about Howl instead. Her instinct told her to run away as fast as she could, but she couldn't leave Howl. No matter monster or not. How could she call herself his wife if she just left him?

Sure, her stubbornness was what had caused this mess from the beginning, but she couldn't bring herself to it. Not knowing how to help Sophie tried to keep away. The injury the djinn caused her before constantly made itself reminded, but she stuck around anyway. She watched in horror as the djinn pinned Howl to the ground and used his sharp nails to scratch huge wounds on him.

Howl quickly recovered and got up again. He used his big wings to gain some air and then he managed to take a hold of the djinn with his talons. The djinn hit him many times with his large fists, but Howls grip was too good and he had no plans on letting go.

Instead he buried his fangs into the djinn's shoulder and allowed himself to fall down again, smashing the djinn hard against the ground. It was hard for him to pay attention to anything else besides the djinn, but he hoped that Sophie had been smart enough to leave.

The djinn limply collapsed under Howls feel, so he let go of his grip. He regretted doing so almost immediately. The djinn, who was not at all as beat sown as it seemed, quickly got up again and drove his long claw-like nails right into Howls shoulder. He cried out in pain, but quickly turned around to bash the djinn away with his feathery head.

The wound was deep and it hurt him to move his right wing. He couldn't use it to fly anymore. He cursed inside his head as he once again had to evade the djinns claws. He kept evading, as he didn't get a good chance to attack and hopefully, the djinn would grow tired and grow careless.

But the one getting tired was Howl. The djinn looked at him while grinning his teeth. The djinn charged, aiming his claws at Howl's heart, but a blurry black shadow threw itself on it's face. By the time Howl realized that it was Sophie she was already on top the djinns face scratching its eyes for all she's was worth. His mind was blurry and he didn't take much notice over what happened next.

Sophie was furious. She couldn't bear to watch anymore. When she saw the djinn going attacking Howl when he was already down made adrenaline flew through her body and she threw herself on the dinn's face and scratched every part she could reach on it.

She managed to get her claws in his eye and scratched out the eye out of it's socket. The djinn screamed in pain and backed away. Sophie landed on her feet and watched how it writhed and twitched around the place.

Then he turned around and left. Sophie fell down on her hind legs, but managed to somewhat remain standing. She looked in disbelief in the direction in where the djinn had left and then she turned to where Howl was. He was pretty beat up and bleeding from many places.

His black feathers were now also stained with red and he slowly tried to get up on his legs. Sophie wondered if it still was Howl, or if the monster had taken over him.

She walked towards him slowly. She would try to speak to him, if only she were able to, but all she could manage was a tired meow. Howl fixated his green eyes on her, before starting to cough violently. Little by little he regained his human appearance, and then he fell to the ground.

Sophie went over to him and laid down next to him. It didn't take long before she slipped away into the darkness that fell over her mind.


	16. In which there is a happy ending

Howl slowly opened his eyes. His body was aching and he felt as if somebody just had droppen a ton right on top of him. He tried to get up but the pain in his shoulder made him flinch.

He looked at it and saw that it was carefully bandaged up, like the rest of his bigger wounds. He looked around quite disorientated and after a while he realized that he was in Lettie and Suliman's home. His eyes shot open when he realized that Sophie was nowhere to be found.

'He sprung up on his feet and stormed out through the corridor, where he was met by Lettie. "

Howl! I'm so glad to see that you're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Where are they? Where is Sophie, and Heen! Please tell me Heen is here!"

"Calm down, Howl. Don't worry. Ben went after you to Zanzib and he found Heen with Markl and a tiny kitten. He made the conclision that it was your son."

"Where is he?" Howl almost shouted.

"He's in the bedroom. Markl and Granny Witch is watching over him. He did not like being turned back into a human", Lettie giggled.

"Suliman turned him human? What about Sophie?"

"Markl told Ben that you went after her in the Alberian Forest. He found you unconscious and bleeding on the ground with a black cat, he figured out it had to be Sophie, so he took you back and turned your son and Sophie back to humans."

"What about the djinn? Where is Sophie?"

"The djinn? There was no djinn there. Sophie is sleeping. Don't be too worried Howl, but she was quite bad shape. She was malnourished and very weak when Ben found you. She'll be fine, but she needs rest."

Howl sighed.

"Do you want to go and meet your son?" Lettie asked. "Or how do you feel?"

"Of course I want to see my son", Howl snapped, but Lettie didn't seem to mind.

"Alright, let's go then."

When they entered the room the old Witch of the Waste was carefully holding the baby in her arms as she tried to sooth it. The little baby was screaming his lungs out. Markl looked at Howl with a hint of relief in his eyes.

"Thank goodness that you're here Howl. The baby won't stop screaming!"

"Is that so?" Howl asked and smiled gently as he went up to the witch.

"You'd be mad too, if you used to be able to walk, explore and play all by yourself before, and now suddenly you can barely move at all", the witch said with a shrewdly smile.

"That's true", Howl said and carefully picked his son up from her arms. He looked like any other baby, exept for his eyes. They were deep green, much like Howl's own. His hair was light and would most likely be as red as his mother's one day.

"When can we go to Sohpie?" Howl asked without taking his eyes off his, somewhat noisy son.

"Well, I'll go and see if she's awake", Lettie said. "In the meantime, why don't you go to Calcifer and show him the baby? He's very upset for being the only one who hasn't met him yet."

When Sophie woke up her face was bathed in sunshine. She felt weird and heavy and when she rose from the bed, she lost her balance. It took her a while to remember that she used to be a cat before, but now she wasn't anymore.

She looked at her hands as if she'd seen a ghost. It felt weird to be a human again. She missed her tail and it felt almost as if she'd been a cat for all of her life. She flinched when she heard loud knocks on the door, but was overjoyed when Howl entered the door, holding thier baby in his arms.

"Oh, Howl, you're alive", she cried happily and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, gently holding Morgan between them.

"You found us..."

"I wouldn't stop searching. It is my fault you ended up on such a misfortunate adventure." "Don't say that!" "It is though. But I only wanted to protect you.."

"I know dear", Sophie said and gently patted his cheek. She took the now sleeping Morgan from Howls arms and looked at him. It was the first time she's ever seen him as a human baby.

"He's so beautiful.." She said.

"Nah. He's as ugly as his father!"

"Howl!"

"He was a very cute kitten though."

"And he is a beautiful baby, too.."

"Then he takes after you", Howl said and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sorry for not being there for you when he was born. It must have been awful for you to be all alone."

Sophie sighed. "It was awfully lonely at first and not knowing where I was or wether or not the djinn had taken you.. I was worried that I may not survive long enough to take care of Morgan.."

"You named him Morgan?"

"Yes. Don't you like it?"

"I love it! It suits him!"

"I'm glad!" Sophie smiled. "You know, I thought that I'd lost you there for a while, when you turned to that bird-thing. Out of all things I've been through these days I have never been so scared that when I saw that."

"Sophie you know I would never hurt you!"

"I know, but I feared that you may not return to me. After seing that you were alive and that you'd found me... and then suddenly something may have taken you away from me again. That was what scared me."

"You know that you won't get rid of me that easily. I will always return to you, dearest Sophie", Howl said and kissed her hand. "I'm just glad the djinn went away. I don't know why, but something made him leave."

"That may have been because of me", Sophie said. "I couldn't take it watching him hurt you like that. I kind of scratched his eyeball out..."

"What?" Howl said surprised, and then burst out laughing. "You never cease to amaze me Sophie!"

"What? What did I do? And shush! You'll wake Morgan up!"

"No, it's nothing!. It's just the way you said it! You took on a djinn and managed to make him retreat and still you act is if that was nothing? Sophie, you're clearly underestimating yourself!"

"Well at least as the djinn is gone, I'm happy", she said.

"There is a good chance that he may come back for us, but if he does, we'll handle it then. I'll make better protetive charms and Calcifer would hide the castle even better."

Sophie nodded. "What did happen to the castle? Was all of it destroyed?"

"Sadly, yes. But we are all welcome to stay here while we find a new home."

"Augh, can we stand Lettie for that long?" Sophie said. She loved her sister endlessly, but sometimes, even Lettie could cross a certain line of annoyance.

Howl laughed. "Won't have to be that long, dear. We're already got plans for a rather nice terrace house in Market Chipping."

"Really?" Sophie said happily. It had always been her dream to raise her own family in the town she grew up in as well.

"Of course, that would only be one of many doors. We can make them go wherever you want."

Sophie smiled. "I'd love that."

"So, for now it looks like our family are facing good times, don't you think?" Howl said and Sophie enthusiastically nodded and smiled.

The djinn wouldn't bother them for many years, and as the family grew bigger so did the love between Sophie and Howl.

-The end.

**Thanks a lot to everyone who read this! Every bit of support that you have shown me is more appreciated than words can tell. I'm really glad. Thank you!**


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